4.4

Question 1

What is the role of the atmosphere?

Answer 1

To retain heat at night and prevent fluctuations in temperatures that organism couldn’t survive.

Question 2

What is the greenhouse gass effect?

Answer 2

A planets ability to use it’s atmosphere to retain heat and keep warm even when no sunlight is hitting the surface

Question 3

How does the green house gas effect work?

Answer 3

1. Solar energy (short waves) enters the atmosphere
2. Solar energy is absorbed by objects and is transformed into heat
3. Objects radiate heat back towards the atmosphere
4. Heat (long waves) aren’t able to escape the atmosphere
5. Heat is trapped inside the atmosphere

Question 4

What are the four gasses that act as greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere?

Answer 4

Carbon dioxide
Water Vapor
Methane
Nitrogen oxides

Question 5

What are the two most effective green house gasses?

Answer 5

Carbon dioxide and water Vapor

Question 6

What does the effect a gas has on heat retention depend on?

Answer 6

1. The ability for the gas to absorb long wave radiation (heat)
2. The concentration of that gas in the atmosphere

Question 7

How effective is carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Answer 7

Most effective
Reflects a lot of heat
Remains in the atmosphere for a long time; concentration increases

Question 8

Why are other gasses other than carbon dioxide relatively low?

Answer 8

Other gasses retain more heat but they don’t stay in the atmosphere as long, so their levels are relatively low

Question 9

Why sis the green house gas effect essential to life on earth?

Answer 9

Without it the temperatures would drop severely at night and life wouldn’t be able to survive

Question 10

What is the meaning of weather?

Answer 10

Current conditions in a small area; can change rapidly

Question 11

What is the meaning of climate?

Answer 11

Patterns of temperatures and precipitations over large periods of time

Question 12

How do climatologists find temperatures before recorded times

Answer 12

Use proxies
1. Fossils: scientists can see when temperature sensitive organisms died out
2. Ice cores: scientists can find air bubbles trapped in ice cores, use radioactive dating to determine how old the ice is, and then analyse the ration of oxygen isotope to estimate temperature

Question 13

Why does the hole is the ozone layer not have an effect on he greenhouse gas effect?

Answer 13

Because ozone isn’t a green house gas

Question 14

What are threats to coral?

Answer 14

1. Water temperature; increased CO2 levels are causing temperatures to go up
2. Water acidity; more CO2 decreases the pH of the water when it’s absorbed
3. Depth of water; increased temperatures melted sea ice which could change sea levels